Upright bass repair - West System

By Bruce Niederer

Just by luck, I was in the right place at
the right time to purchase an old upright
bass from the local school system
for $50 because, sadly, the orchestra
(stringed instruments) program was being
discontinued. The bass needed
strings and a new peg but was in decent
shape-until I got my hands on it! As it
was standing in the corner of my room
patiently waiting for me to get to it, a
gust of wind got there first, knocking it
down and breaking the neck at the heel.
My luck was in again because the break
was very clean along a joint. The two
parts could be easily fit back together in
such a way that the fingerboard would
be properly positioned.

I lightly sanded the flat mating surfaces
with 80-grit paper to clean and scuff the
wood, taking care not to sand so much
that the fit would become loose (photo 1).

Then I brushed WEST SYSTEM® 105 epoxy resin and 206 slow hardener
onto both surfaces and fit the joint together (photo 2).
Enlisting some help from a friend, I used duct tape to hold the
pieces together until the glue cured (photo 3).

The bass has now been given a
new lease on life, and I'm ready to learn
how to play. But there's no worries
learning-in fact it's fretless!